Disappearing-gun carriage



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. H. MORGAN. DISAPPBARING GUN CARRIAGE.

No. 569,225. Patented Oct. 13, 1896.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. H. MORGAN.

DISAPPBARING GUN CARRIAGE. No. 569,225A Patented Oct. 13, 1896.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3,

W. H. MORGAN.

DISAPPEARING GUN CARRIAGE. No. 569,225. Patented ont. 13, 1896.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

W. H. MORGAN.

DISAPPEARING GUN CARRIAGE.

No. 569,225. Patented Oct. 13, 1896.

IIIII'I (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sh`eet 5.

W. H. MORGAN. DISAPPEARING GUN CARRIAGE.

No. 569,225. Patented Oct. 13, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

` WILLIAM HENRY MORGAN, OF ALLIANCE, OHIO.

DISAPPEARING-GUN CARRIAGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,225, dated October 13, 1896. Application filed June 27,1896. Serial No. 597,268. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM HENRY MoR- GAN, of Alliance, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Disappearing-Gun Oarriages and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in disappearing-gun carriages, and is designed more particularly as an improvement on the carriage disclosed in my application, Serial No. 581,502, led March 2, 1896.

In the carriage disclosed in the application above referred to the top carriage is mounted upon the upper end of parallel cranks carrying counterweights at their lower ends, and the gun is mounted in movable bearings mounted on the top carriage. Under recoil the gun and its bearings Iirst move rearwardly on the top carriage until the resistance to further movement overcomes the weight lof the counterweights, at which time the top carriage with the gun thereon begins its rearward and downward movement, while the counterweights are moved vertically upwardly, the movement of the counterweights being controlled or checked by a hydraulic brake on the lower carriage connected by suitable gearing with one or more of the cranks.

The object of my present invention is to dispense entirely with hydraulic braking devices on the lower carriage and so connect the movable trunnion-bearings of the gun with the cranks that as the gun begins to move rearwardly on the top carriage the cranks begin to turn and elevate the counter-weights.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the parts and combinations of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a view in side elevation of my improved earriage, showing the parts in the firing position. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the parts in the loading position or position after recoil.

`Fig. 3 is a view in plan, and Figs. 4 and 5 are views in side elevation, of modifications.

A represents a base or bed plate of the main carriage, constructed in any desired manner and located over and secured to, if necessary, a pivot-plate, which latter may, if desired, be carried ona hydraulic pivot. I prefer, however, to mount the main carriage on a traverse circle O, having a circular rack C2, engaged by a pinion C3, carried on an actuating-shaft mounted in the base of the main carriage.

The side frames E of the carriage are integral with or rigidly secured to the base-plate A, and each side frame is provided on its upper edge with bearings E', in which are mounted the pivoted arms or double cranks. These arms are arranged parallel, two arms to each side frame, and the arms or cranks constituting a pair are connected at their upper ends to shafts G, which pass through the sides II of the top carriage.

The top carriage is provided with upwardly and rearwardly inclined upper edges provided at intervals with rollers 7b2, on which the cylinders II3 move. These cylinders, one to each side, rest on the rollers and overlap the sides of the top carriage and are connected by the section H4, (shown in Fig. 3,) which latter is preferably cast integral with the cylinders, thus locking them together and causing them to move simultaneously equal distances and at the same speed. This part II" is concave on top and passes under the gun, ample space being provided for the movemen ts of the gun. These cylinders are provided with trunnionbearings for the trunnions of the gun, and passing through each cylinder, and preferably secured at its front end to the top carriage, is a piston-rod, each rod being provided with a pistou. Thus it will be seen that as the gun moves rearwardly during recoil the cylinders slide on the upper faces of the side pieces, while the pistons and piston-rods rcmain stationary with respect to the side pieces. The cylinders are so constructed as to regulate the escape of the liquid from in front of the pistons, and the cylinders and the system of double cranks are so connected by devices to be hereinafter described that as the cylinders begin to move rearwardly under the effects of the recoil the crank-arms begin to turn, thus lowering the top carriage and gun thereon to a covered position below thepara pet and carrying the gun horizontally rearward and at the same time moving it in the arc of a circle rearwardly and downwardly.

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lith this double movement of the gun under recoil I am enabled, when the gun is in its liring position, to have the muzzle thereof well over the crest of the parapet, so that the gunners in the pit are not exposed to the blast occasioned by the explosion, and during the recoil to withdraw the muzzle fromover the crest and lower same to a covered position behind the parapet.

rIhe shafts G, before referred to, pass through the top carriage from side to side, are journaled therein, one in front and one in the rear, and are rigidly fastened at their outer ends to the parallel arms F. These arms are each in effect two cranks. The inner cranks F, as clearly shown, are located in planes to the inner side of the inner faces of the side frames of the main carriage, while the outer cranks F rest outside o'f the side frames and support the weights K, one on each side, which combined are slightly greater in weight than the weight of the gun., but which for convenience I have termed counterweights. The four parallel crank-arms are, as before stated, ljournaled in the side frames E of the main carriage, and as they are connected at their upper ends to the top carriage and at their lower ends to the counterweights it follows that when the upper carriage,with the gun thereon, is rising the counterweights are descending and when the top carriage is desc-enclin g the counterweights are rising.

The counterweights are provided on their inner faces with longitudinal grooves I, in which rollers J, mounted on wrist-pins J of the lower cranks Fl, move.

To confine the movements of the counterweights to a Vertical movement and prevent them from moving forwardly with the cranks, I have provided the side frames E with the vertical guides K, in which rollers L, mounted on bearings L', carried by the counterweights, move.

As the cranks begin their upward movement the rollers carried by the cranks move in the grooves in the counterweights, and as the counterweights are restrained against longitudinal movement it follows that the initial vertical movement imparted by the cranks starting from a vertical position and moving in the arcs of a circle is slow, but is gradually accelerated as the gun continues to descend.

In the application above referred to the cylinders and gun thereon are designed to move rearwardly on the top carriage before the top carriage begins its descent. In the present case the cylinders and cranks are coupled up so that the rearward movement of the cylinders and gun is simultaneous with the downward movement of the top carriage.

Depending from the section H4, connecting the cylinders, is the bracket H5, to which is connected the rear end of pitman HS, the front end of the pitman being journaled on a bearing h, carried by the triangular frame H6.

This frame I-lG is secured on the shaft G and on a shaft or bearing concentric with the axis of the front cranks, or, in other words, this frame H6 is rigidly secured between and to the front cranks. From this it will be seen that as the gun starts its rearward movement under the recoil it operates through the pitman IlS and frame Il6 to rock the cranks and thus cause the top carriage to move rearwardly and downwardly and the counterweights to ascend. With this construction I secure a :rearward movement of the gun on the top carriage anda simultaneous downward and rearward movement of the top carriage with the gun thereon.

The gun-elevating devices are shown in Fig. l and consist of two frames M, located between the cheek-pieces of the top carriage and provided on their inner surfaces with grooves m. These frames are pivoted to the cheek-pieces at on', and their outer or rear ends, which are enlarged and curved in the arc of a circle concentric with the pivot m', are provided with teeth to engage the toothed wheel m2, fast on the shaft m3. This shaft m3 also carries the worm-wheel m4, which meshes with the worm-shaft m6. This shaft m carries at its rear end the bevel-pinion m7, which meshes with the bevel-pinion m8 on actuatingshaft m9, carrying the hand-wheel m10.

Surrounding the gun in rear of the trunnions is a band N, carrying bearings in which is an axle or shaft carrying two friction-rollers N', (one for each frame,) which rest and move in the grooves in the frame. By elevating the forward ends of the frames M the muzzle end of gun is lowered and by lowering the front end of the frames the muzzle is elevated. IVith this construction it will be not-iced that under the recoil of the gun the rollers N move rearwardly in the grooves, and as the rear ends of the frames are fixed with relation to the side cheeks of the top carriage it follows that as the gun moves rearwardly the breech thereof is guided by the grooves in the frame. Hence when the gun comes to a state of rest the breech thereof is in proper position with relation to the apparatus for loading, irrespective of the elevation of the gun when in its iiring position.

In the construction shown in Fig. 4 I have provided each arm F of the cranks with a p ulley O, fast to the arm or to shaft G, carried by the arm. These pulleys, four in all, are provided with grooved peripheries, in which rest chains or cables O. These chains or cables are each secured at one end to the pulley, and the two cables on the front pulleys pass upwardly around the front and top of the pulleys rearwardly and are attached to the depending brackets O2, integral with or secured to the cylinders, while the cables connected to the rear pulleys pass upwardly around and over the rear of the pulleys and are connected to the brackets O2 preferably below the points of attachment of the front cables.

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IIO

In Fig. 5 I have shown depending racks P, integral with or secured to the cylinders and meshing with segments P, fast on the rear shaft G. In the construction shown in Fig. 5 I have also shown hydraulic braking devices located on the main carriage. This braking device, which is fully shown and described in my application, Serial No. 57 6,445, filed January 22, 1896, consists of large spurwheels W, fast on the axis of the rear cranks and meshing with toothed wheels W', which in turn mesh with rack-bars W2, resting on the bed A of the frame. These rack-bars are connected at their front ends by cross-head W3, to which the plunger of a hydraulic brake is attached. This hydraulic brake is not essential to the operation of this device, but it may be used in connection therewith, if desired. Vith all of these devices it will be seen that the cylinders on the top carriage operate to absorb the shock of the recoil of the gun, and as the gun begins its rearward movement on the top carriage the connections between the cylinders or other movable supports for the gun cause the crank-arms to turn simultaneously with the longitudinal movements of the gun. As the cranks F begin their upward movement the rollers carried by the cranks move in the grooves in the counterweights, and as the counterweights are re- -strained against longitudinal movement it follows that the initial vertical movement imparted by the cranks moving in the arcs of a circle is slow, but is gradually accelerated as the gun continues to descend. Hence the great stress on the parts which would result if the counterweights were connected to move simultaneously at the same rate of speed as the top carriage is avoided.

The counterweights, bein gheavier than the gun, restore the gun from its loading position to its iiring position. I propose, however', to provide devices for manually bringing the gun from its firing position to its loading position and for locking the gun in its loading position.

The cylinders or pistons or bot-h may be provided with any of the well-known devices for regulating the escape of the liquid from in front of the pistons, and the resistance offered by the liquid in the cylinders to the free movement of the cylinders on the top carriage also operates,through the pistons, piston-rods,and connections of the latter to the top carriage, to assist in imparting a rearward and downward movement to the top carriage and a vertical movement to the counterweights.

It is evident that many slight changes and alterations might be resorted to in the relative arrangement of parts herein shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I-Ience I would have it understood that Ido not restrict myself to the exact construction of parts herein shown and described; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, of a top carriage supported on the upper ends of said arms and connecting said arms whereby the latter are caused to move in unison, counterweights carried by the lower ends of said arms, gun-carrying devices yieldingly carried on the top carriage and devices connecting the yielding carrying devices and the system of arms, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, of a top carriage supported on the upper ends of said arms and connecting said arms whereby the latter are caused to move in unison, counterweights carried by the lower ends of said arms, trunnion-bearings slidingly mounted on the top carriage, yielding devices for checking the rearward movement of said bearings and devices connecting the sliding trunnion-bearings and the system of arms, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, of a top carriage supported on the upper ends of said arms and connecting said arms whereby the latter are caused to move in unison, counterweights carried by the lower en ds of said arms, cylinders slidingly mounted on the upper face of the top carriage and provided with trunnion-bearings, piston-rods secured to said top carriage, pistons on the piston-rod, and devices connecting the cylinders and the system of arms, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with two pairs of pivoted arms, of a top carriage supported on the upper ends of said arms and connecting said arms whereby the latter are caused to move in unison, counterweights guided to move vertically, supported by the lower ends of said arms, gun-carrying devices yieldin gl y carried on the top carriage, and devices connecting the yielding carrying devices and the system of arms.

5. The combination with a top carriage and counterweights fornormally holding said top carriage elevated,of trunnion-bearings adapted to slide on said top carriage, means for checking the rearward movement of said trunnions and devices connecting the sliding trunnion-bearings with the devices connecting the counterweight and top carriage whereby when the trunnion-bearings begin to move rearwardly the counter weights begin to move vertically.

6. The combination with a top carriage, parallel arms carrying said top carriage and counterweights for normally holding said top carriage elevated, of trunnion-bearings mounted and adapted to slide on said top carriage, means for gradually checking the rearward movement of said bearings and means connecting the system of parallel arms with the trunnion-bearin gs.

7 The combination with a top carriage, counterweights for normally holding said top IOO IIO

carriage elevated and devices connecting the top carriage and counterweights, of a liquidchecking device on the top carriage,trunnion bearings carried by said checking device7 and devices connecting said liquid-checking device With the devices connecting t'he top carriage and counterweights.

8. The combination with a top carriage,

counterweights for normally holding same elevated, and devices connecting the top carriage and counterweights, of stationary pistons and piston-rods connected to the top cai*- 

